Novels by Nyx

I answered him despite the change of subject. I guess we were all allowed to avoid conversations we didn’t like. “A small burger joint, it’s a family-owned business…” I paused. “Unless you are against going into a place that charges less than five dollars a meal…” Knowing DeLuca, which I didn’t, but suspected, he would be familiar with thirty-dollar dishes and the glass of wine that put an average person’s monthly income to shame. “I have no problem with it.” He chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve been inside a…burger joint.” I laughed. The words sounded foreign on his tongue and I suspected he hadn’t been at a burger joint ever. As soon as we pulled into a parking spot, the two black cars slowly pulled to the side of the road in front of the restaurant. I all but scrambled out of the car, locking it behind me as DeLuca and I made our way to the front door. I felt a little unnerved, though it dissipated as we entered the diner. The simple and familiar structure with its warm

Nole wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I stood at the entrance of the school, dressed in my bedraggled school uniform. The collar was stiff and irritating against my sweaty neck. I had opted out of taking a shower in favor of getting food as quickly as possible. Around me, students were scattered around the school grounds. I lived in an influenced neighborhood, that much was obvious from all the luxurious cars rolling in and out of the school parking lot. The show of status did not sit well with me. From personal experience, most of these parents neglected their children and made up for it by purchasing a flashy car. My parents were that way. While they expected much, they rarely supported me, they were rarely there. Instead, they bought me plenty of things to make up for their absence. I didn’t want or need the things my parents purchased me, but I wasn’t about to be ungrateful. I sold most of the things my father gave me in order to save money for art utensils and create a separate ac

"Your little brother is an enigma, Harlow." Nole clutched the steering wheel as he glanced in the rearview mirror at his boss. Two enforcers, who had stayed around the Harlow premises during dinner, were now sitting on either side of the boss. A lit cigarette was between Roman's fingers. As the man inhaled, the red-hot ashes cast a deep glow across his features. "I apologize for my brother's lack of respect, boss." "He was a spitfire, wasn't he?" His boss' tone wasn't angry, more amused than anything. "I'd like to get to know him better, Harlow." "With all due respect, boss, I would do anything for you and support any and all of your business decisions." Nole hesitated as he frowned at the road. "But I would ask you to leave my brother alone. He's far too naïve for this lifestyle." There was a scoffing sound in the backseat. Nole didn't know if it was his boss or an enforcer who made the sound. Roman DeLuca had a decent relationship with both his parents and he had two siblings.

It was dinner time... finally. Earlier, when my parents were toasting a glass of wine with Nole’s boss, I had used the distraction to run up to my room and draw. My solitude hadn't lasted too long, as my mother called me for dinner not even a half an hour later. Somehow, even the aroma of pasta didn't tempt me enough to enjoy my current situation. "So, Jude," Nole injected after a short pause from the earlier conversation, "how is school going? Still getting good grades?" My mother answered. "He's doing fantastic, aren't you, Jude? Top of your class." I nodded dubiously. "You just said it mother." With my fork, I played with a stray noodle, watching as it sprang across my plate like a grasshopper. "Fantastic…" This was so boring. All I wanted to do was go up into my room, listen to music and draw. As the minutes rolled by, I was getting more annoyed that my parents insisted on calling Nole’s boss 'Mr. DeLuca' instead of his first name. But then again, it wasn't as if the man wer

"All I hear about his boss is shit." "Language, Jude!" I slumped further against the couch as my mother's shrill warning drifted across the kitchen and into the living room. My fingers fumbled across the sleek remote, a sign of my suppressed anxiety. My older brother was bringing his boss over for dinner. Despite the fact that I had never met Nole’s boss, I heard plenty about him. Well, that wasn't all true. Nole only praised his boss and never divulged anything personal. But I remembered all those Christmases and holidays when Nole had to stay after-hours for his boss as well as those late nights when he'd come home looking like shit. I guess the real reason I despised his boss was because he took my brother away from me. Ever since Nole started working for the man, he'd distanced himself from me—from our family. Our friendship had weakened and stretched thin the exact day Nole came home, sharing the news that he worked for Roman DeLuca. Roman DeLuca. The man was an asshole. H